Betting On One Month
by 17BlackRoses
Summary: In a month, Kurogane will meet his end and be cast into Unrest. You must become his guardian angel and guide him to his salvation so he may be allowed to enter into Rest. This is Fai's only chance to prove himself worthy as a Rest Elite and fulfill his dream. However, will a bet with a demon change his plans? What happens when someone he forces to love him, ends up loving him? Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

Hello my fellow readers once again! New story...again! -3- So, excited for this one no doubt, but not sure how it'll go yet since I'm writing in third person rather than first x.x It couldn't be avoided. There's just some things that need to be seen through all eyes for this story x.x Either way, I think it'll be good...once we get past chapter one ^_^;;

Anyway, just to clear this up, this IS actually the PREQUAL to Beautiful Liar. This was orginally never to be in existance when I started writing Beautiful Liar about two years ago and this was going to be an individual story, but with the more planning it underwent, I managed to find many connections to Beautiful Liar that I really liked and ended up making this the prequal x.x Sorry about the confusion, but if you've never read Beautiful Liar, AWESOME POSSUM! You can start from the true beginning!

Thank you all for choosing to read this story and hope you enjoy the ride with me~ ;D Love you all and happy reading!

**T means scene change or time passing** ; _Italics means thoughts_

Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa, the characters, or the story...this is just my own creative plot twist~

* * *

The soft padding of footsteps sound in the elaborate and spacious corrider with tall ceilings Fai saunters down. He glances around at the well-decorated surroundings, taking in the space he hardly ever gets to observe. Why would he, after all? Only two of the "Rest" Elite use any of the rooms down this hallway. To anyone else they were just places they had no business entering on their own accord. This was probably Fai's second time down at this end of the Rest Palace, if that.

I wonder what they're calling me down here for? They hardly ever talk to me. _'I hope I didn't do anything wrong...'_ he thinks silently to himself, sapphire eyes growing serious when the entryway to the observatory fill his vision. Poking his head around the corner, the forms of Yuuko and Clow conversing between themselves alerts him that he's reached his destination.

He is about to step in and announce his presence, but the sound of Yuuko's voice filling the room makes him halt.

"The way the blackness keeps faltering is starting to make me nervous. It slowly covers the rest of him, but he does one thing and it starts to slightly dissipate. He's so unstable... Are you sure that Fai will be able to do it, Clow?" Yuuko seems to question the air before turning her eyes away from the rounded glass toward the black-haired male. Long, silkly strands of ebony cascades down the male's back when he turns his attention toward her, revealing a gently smile lining his lips.

"I'm sure he can. After all, you said it yourself, Yuuko," he responds lightly.

"Yes, this is required in order for fate to progress," she replies back, keeping the mysteriousness in her voice as she always has. As much as Fai would love to listen in on what seems like an important world-changing conversation, he was called down there for a reason and he wanted to know why. Besides, it wasn't very becoming of him to eavesdrop on the two practically run this place.

"Excuse me," the blonde interrupts as politely as he can and begins to slip into the room, "Yuuko-sama, Clow-sama, you called me down?" The two conversing Elites turn and greet the blonde with kind smiles.

"Ah, Fai, you've arrived and just on time," Clow tells him in an almost relieved voice. Catching onto it, Fai querks an eyebrow a bit in question.

"Yes, what is it that you wanted me to come down for?" he asks, nearing them while trying to remain presentable to them. They exchange a glance before turning their attention toward the observing glass that oversees the physical realm of Earth.

"Come over here, please, Fai," Clow says calmly to the blonde, beckoning him over with a slight hand gesture. There wasn't really much for Fai to expect, so the only way he was gonna understand what Clow was trying to show was by actually seeing it himself. After a few seconds of uncertainty, he finally brings himself over to where they stand and observe the events of everyone's lives on Earth. The dark-haired male places a hand on his shoulder unexpectedly and points toward the glass.

"Look down there. See that young man with the spikey black hair and garnet eyes?" Fai leans in a little closer to get a better look.

"Wow, yeah I do. That's a pretty dense cloud of darkness... Is that why you have called me down? Do you wish for me to kill him before he runs rampant?"

"No," Yuuko breaks in. "That young man's name is Kurogane Suwa and we want you to cleanse his soul."

"How do you expect me to do that!? He's far too jaded!" he refutes back, frankly surprised with such a request.

"He's very jaded, but he hasn't been completely engulfed," Clow tells him. "Look." He points to the red-eyed male again and Fai watches him a little longer to see how much truth rang in the Elite's voice, eyes widening at how much the density of the cloud shifted._ 'Wow... That guy has no idea how he wants to be...'_ he thinks to himself while pursing his lips.

"We want you to save him from "Unrest". We feel you're the only one who can do it," Yuuko informs him agian

"Even if I'm not an Elite? You'd think that you'd use a Rest Elite for a job like this."

"You're the only one that can change a human like him. Any Elite wouldn't know what to do. Besides, this is your chance to prove you can become and Elite," Clow informs him with a grin. Fai's eyes light up and his whole attention is instantly drawn to them. Becoming and Elite has become his dream ever since he heard of what they were. After his death, he left his twin brother alone on Earth. By becoming a Rest Elite, even if his brother wouldn't be allowed to see him, at least with the greater power and freedom he would possess as an Elite, he could be his brother's permanent guardian angel rather than some random person like this Kurogane Suwa guy.

Clow smiles at the new enthusiasm fromt he blonde. "So, do you want to take the job, Fai?"

"Yes! I'd love to show you that I'm worthy. Just tell me how to get started!" he tells them excitedly with a small sparkle that hasn't shined in his eyes for a while now.

"You only have a month to do this," Yuuko says suddenly. Fai's grin drops immediately, head snapping over to her.

"What?"

"You have a time limit, sadly. You have to save him before the end of a month's time before he meets his death. Can you still do it, Fai?" the red-eyed female questions, expression slightly worried, matching Clow's almost perfectly. Once the realization of Yuuko's words wash over his mind, Fai's ardor slowly dies down and his eyes fall downcast, the seed of doubt planting itself in his mind like it often does. What if he can't do it in a month? Would that ruin the chances of him becoming an Elite? Even losing his title as an angel of Rest?

He shakes the thoughts away and smiles confidently at them. All those negative thouhts are just _going_ to make it impossible. This is his chance and better take it or he'll regret it later or even worse; never get another chance. "I'm sure I can do it," he assures them, earning smiles from both.

Yuuko draws their attention to her once more as she begins to speak up. "Very well. In a month, Kurogane will meet his end and be cast into Unrest. You must become his guardian angel and guide him to his salvation so he may be allowed to enter into Rest. We wish you the best of luck, Fai," she tells him, puntuating with a gentle smile.

**T**

Leaning over, Fai takes a whole eyefull of the physical realm. Feeling a little dizzy and nervous, he can't help but pull himself back away from the edge of the drop off and sit down. The Rest Elite jump off here and soar into Earth's realm all the time, so he should really stop his worrying and just go.

Then again, the Elite doesn't really have to worry about losing their wings in mid-flight. Being Elites, they're given more power privelages than the common angel from Rest so they can form wings whenever they so desire. Angels with the status of him are only given enough magic to form wings here in Rest or when they need to go and return back to Rest. Just another reason why the blonde wants that special title of Elite.

_'Well, nothing's gonna happen while I just stand here,'_ he thinks while standing up and trudging back over to the drop off deck. _'It's time I go and change a life.'_

The pale male closes his eyes, focusing everything on the area between his slender shoulder blades. Not a few seconds later, a glow bgins to shine over the lithe male's back, two magnificent, white wings materializing between the two blades. Soft, snowy feathers extend over a span of ten feet across upon stretching them out. Pale eyelids part slightly to reveal beautifully shining sapphire eyes underneath, slowly being more revealed the wider his eyes open.

He finally jumps, allowing himself to pick up some speed before swinging down the foreign, feathery limbs and safely guiding himself down through the different world's barriers and to where this troubled male lives.

He already feels the drop in the density of the magic needed to keep his wings materialized and he knows he will more than likely need that remaining magic for dealing with this Kurogane, so the wings become the least of needs quickly. Feeling a pang of sadness shoot through him watching the wings fade away, he instantly brushes it off and focuses his attention on finding the raven. His feet stretch to land softly on the roof and he glances around.

_'Let's see... The last place I saw him when I was up in the observatory was down one of these alleyways while he was doing some sort of dealing,_' he thinks while starting to leap to each gothic style roof and scanning down each alleyway he passes over. _'However...'_ He slows down to a stop and purses his lips, staring at the Victorian roof's shingles in discouragement._ 'That was a while back when I saw him. There's no telling where he's at now...'_ A moan sounds from him and he slumps into a sitting position, hugging his knees to his chest. "How am I supposed to find him in a big city like this? After all, this is London..." he asks himself in frustration, eyes saddening at the problems aready being presented. Replaying the images of the general area he landed in and how far he leaped around for a bit, he tries to calculate how far away he must be from the raven. A growl escapes past his lips against his knees when trying to figure how far away the male has probably traveled by now.

"Hey! Hey, man with the spikey hair!" a voice yells from down on an alleyway street near him. The blonde's eyes widen and he finds himself nearly falling off the roof after hastily crawling over to its edge with immediate hope growing in his chest.

A young, ebony-haired male who was just about to round a corner freezes and slowly turns his attention back toward the other man's voice. His face quickly grows frustrated and he starts to pivot and be on his way had the other guy not already been so close to him._ 'I can't believe I was this close to him!'_ the blonde thinks in surprise, excitement tingling in his body. He leans a little more to try and get a better view of what's going on.

"Hey, Spikey. I hear you're that Japanese guy that deals the opium," the sleezy and dirty guy says, earning an irritated sigh from the tanner male. _'I can't hear them...'_ The blonde hastily jumps up and leaps over a few roofs closer to get a better distance for hearing. Making sure he hasn't been noticed, he eventually peeks over down at the two males conversing, noting everything that he can.

"Just go home and leave me alone," the raven tells him harshly, spinning to be on his way once more.

"But I have the money right here!" _'Money? For what?'_

"Shut up! Do you want to get caught, Dumbass?!"

The guy seems to completely ignore the tanned male's warning and continues on. "All the money I have is right here. Enough to buy some. Now gimme some!" he demands, struggling to hold back a dry cough.

The male's red eyes narrow and disbelief floods his expression. "All the money you have? You'd pay every cent you go, just for this shit?"

"Yep, now hand it over. I ain't got all day, Spikey" The guy holds out the money expectantly, other dirty and calloused hand held out to recieve the drug the raven holds in his possession. However, instead of an immediate exchange like the blonde was expecting, his eyes are drawn to the garnet-eyed male who seems to be a bit hesitant in handing any over. Fai's surprised but definitely pleased over the other's hesitance._ 'That's it! Just keep it to yourself and keep walking away. Don't give him the means to end his life!'_ the blonde chants to himself with a small grin on his lips. Sadly, it was short lived.

"Well?" the man questions again and Kurogane finally takes the money and places the opium in his hand. The raven watches the man take off before slowing turning to be on his own way again. The blonde's eyes follow his retreating form then crosses his arms over his chest._ 'I think I can see now what they mean over him not completely being engulfed by that cloud of darkness. He's still somewhat pure. Even if hesitating to give someone opium isn't the biggest deal ever in "greatness", it still shows that he has some idea of "right and wrong" that controls his actions.'_ He gazes down the direction raven parted in and follows after him with a few more jumps over the roofs. _'I think I CAN change him, but the question is, how?'_ he wonders when leaping onto the roofs of the building leading in the raven's direction that overlooks a more open scenery of a park where the raven can easily mix in with all the people._ 'I suppose I'll have to learn more about his reactions and thought process first before I can get any idea to change him.'_ A sigh erupts from his chest and he slumps over a bit not really wanting to go through this much trouble to assess the situation.

However, he is well aware of the fact that he's going to have to do anything it takes to turn this unlucky male's fate around and get him into Rest if he wants any chance of being an Elite, even if it requires a lot more work than the blonde's accustomed to. Sapphire eyes shift up to be met with a hazy sky of orange, pink, purple, and yellow all blending together in a beautfiully painted campus._ 'If I can do this, my dream will be realized, The sooner this is over with, the faster I become an elite~'_ A grin finds it's way onto the angel's lips, determination settling over his pale features and dancing in his eyes.

_'It'll be dark soon. I gotta find that guy before it's too late to see him. London doesn't have friendly nights,'_ he thinks to himself, keeping to the rooftops as his method of travel for a better view over the crowd of people. Even if he's not mixed in with the people, it's still just as risky jumping around up on the buildings. Humans don't typically roam around on rooftops, much less have the ability to do so. If he's spotted, there's no telling what type of attention he'd recieve. For now, it's just better to stay out of public's view until he's been around this Kuro-san or whatever guy long enough to know what to do.

He scans over the cluster of bodies in the park, looking for the tanned male to show up somewhere amongst the collage of people. He made the mistake of letting him get too far ahead of him so he didn't really see if he turned left or right down at the corner he saw him leave at a while ago, so he just went right and hoped for the best. However, from what he managed to remember about the male's aura, this feels like the right direction. _'It's getting dark fast. I gotta find him soon or I'll have to wait a whole other day before I can track him down for sure.'_

The farther down Fai travels, the more he begins to realize the lesser quality the buildings and houses seem to present. He's even more warry about landing on the roofs wrong at risk of them breaking and him falling through. The male halts momentarily, glancing down one of the alleyways at the slim hope his search would be over, only to not be realized. He scans the area around him, noticing how much the scenery has changed. He was still by the canal that he noted earlier in the park, but the buildings were definitely lacking in comparison to those he saw earlier. There were considerably more people but they were dressed in more ripped, dirty and swaddling clothing than those who he saw earlier. Though there were people dressed the same as this mixed in with those who looked more presentable earlier, but not the population was overwhelming. It surprised Fai when taking in such conditions. He's had his fair share of sights of underdressed and clearly struggling people, but he'd have never dreamed up a place like this. He's never really been out this far either though nor had any reason to look over into this place when he'd occassionally glance over the drop off deck up in Rest.

Pursing his lips, he shakes his focus back to finding the Japanese male he lost track of earlier. Closing his eyes to get a stronger focus he begins to sense out the other's presence since it's gotten too dark outside to see anything in the already blackened alleyways.

A feeling of fire dancing more zealously than every other energy in the area feels most familiar to that of the unique presence of the raven he felt earlier. It takes only about five minutes of prancing over a few roofs to meet up with the frenetic energy.

"Found you~" the blonde sings to himself, peering down though the thick blanket of darkness to try to see the raven. He's just walking, to where, the blonde knew not, annoying him a bit to no end. _'Does he just take evening strolls for no reason? Hmm...'_ he thinks to himself, following the tanned male closely now that his eyes have just adjusted to the dark. _'Time to assess. Now, what to do.'_ Fai tries to think back to earlier and get any idea of how to learn more about this guy he's been assigned to.

_'Oh~ I have an idea,'_ the angel smiles to himself, magic already beginning to take form below him in the house below him that's just a little ahead of the black-haired male's walking path. "Let's see what you do," Fai says to himself, quickly followed by a piercing scream of a woman.

The raven pauses, attention immediately jerking toward where the disturbance sounded from. The scene of a distressed woman trying to drag herself out of a door and away from a man clutching tightly onto her ankles fills the male's garnett eyes. The helpless woman notices him and throws her hand out toward him, eyes sparkling with tears.

"Help me! Please! Save me from this man!" she pleads with Kurogane, nails scraping across the ground. His jaw tightens and he clenches his fists, nails biting into his palms. Tension becomes evident in his muscles and his eyes seem to be conflicting with unnamed emotions. Fai watches him intently with arms crossed over his chest, mentally recording everything the other male does.

The woman's whimpering and cries fill the otherwise quiet night and her crazed eyes cut into Kuro's own. "Help me! PLEASE!" she screams out to the motionless male again. Kuro bares his teeth then finally flings himself forward to keep walking away, doing everything he can to not cast another glance at her. She screams out one more time before she's dragged in through the door and a slam echoes in the night. Fai continues to watch him and shifts his weight onto his left foot._ 'So, it seems that he has issues making his own decisions. It's clear he at least has some recognition of what's right and wrong, but when it comes to making a decision between the two, he struggles.'_ The blonde jumps over to the roofs that follow in the direction of the retreating raven, his magic fading in the house that the girl was pulled in to._ 'We'll have to worn on that, now won't we?'_ He smirks to himself, hastily trailing after the raven's movements.

The dark-haired male make a sudden turn around the corner and Fai promptly follows, impressed by the seemingly out of place building Kurogane seems to be heading toward. It isn't like a noble's home, but it most certainly doesn't look all run down like the rest of the sad architecture in this area. _'Intriguing...'_

The other male disappears around the door after a few seconds of waiting and Fai seizes this chance to get closer. Scanning the area to make sure no one sees him randomly jump down from a high building and deeming it safe, he leaps down and gets close to the door the raven entered through moments before. He couldn't exactly go inside, so the blonde went with the next best option and presses his ear up against the door's cold frame.

It's silent for the longest time and Fai's about ready to deem it useless until two voices resonate from the other side of the wood. The voices are slightly muffled until they get closer to the door.

"You made some pretty good profits today, Kurogane," a deep, sophisticated voice rumbles.

"Mm..." another male's voice replies, probably belonging to Kurogane.

"Here's your share."

"Thanks..." Kurogane's voice (at least who Fai presumes) sounds again, followed by footsteps. The blonde's heartbeat speeds up a bit, realization washing over that he needs to get out of there before he's caught, that is until the other man's voice speaks up again.

"Oh, Kurogane. Be sure that you get me a playtoy, hm? By tomorrow night, please," the voice says, followed by a mumble of understanding and footsteps starting up again. The blonde gasps, scurrying away from the doorway and jumping up onto the roof in one leap, something no human could ever hope to do. The click of a door closing fills the air from behind Fai, making him turn to see the black-haired male making his way away from the building._ 'So, you need to find a broad for that guy inside now? Sounds fun...'_

**T**

Fai was surprised with how close Kurogane actually lived to wherever that place was he entered earlier. It was about a ten minute walk tops, so that came as a pleasant realization to Fai who was tired of having to follow around this male all day.

The red-eyed male enters through a somewhat broken door into a building that's considerably lower than the building surrounding it on either side. It's a small house that's snuggled in between two tall, brick buildings at the end of a short alleyway. It looks small, but is probably one of those deceiving houses where it's bigger on the inside then on the outside. It feels like a place that goes by unnoticed and guarded. The blonde entertained the idea of it seeming to match the raven._ 'Well, I'm not gonna learn anything from up here. I may not be able to just walk in, but getting closer may help,'_ he thinks to himself, getting closer to the edge of the roof to jump off and get within a closer vicinity.

"So, you seem to have your eye on that human as well, hm?" an all-too-familiar voice rings from behind the angel, atmosphere behind him immediately thickening with a defiling energy. Sapphire eyes widen and he's jolted from jumping down. It's as though everything moves in slow motion when snapping his head around to allow his vision to affirm his suspicions, heart stopping when icy golden eyes meet his own. Long black hair blows in the gentle wind then falls to drape over his shoulders. The blonde's once shocked eyes immediately grow cold, animosity flooding the sapphire depths.

"What are you doing here, Ashura?" Fai questions with venom dripping in his voice, earning a mocking grin from the demon in return.

* * *

.rough...! x.x That was one of the hardest chapters I've ever written x.x I think I went insane toward the end of it... *sighs* It's just all the description... Anyway! Hope this was a good read and that you all are looking forward to the next chapter that will be tons more awesome! R&R? It'll make me happier and make me update faster! Adieu for now! TAKE CARE~


	2. Chapter 2

Hey my lovelies. Long updates, I apologize. I'm gonna try putting deadlines on myself again like I did way back when I first started Beautiful Liar and see if that helps. Anyway, yay~ New chapter~

So, I wanna just take a second to dedicate this story to Vague Gravitation. Even if we don't talk anymore, I just wanna do this to thank you for all the help you gave me in creating this story and making its creation possible. Thanks for all your help. It has been much appreciated ^_^

Yay! Reveiws!

**Vague Gravitation-** Well, not only did you get first review...you got only review! XD throws confetti for you -3- Anyway, thank you for the support, Deary. I really appreciate it TONS! You've helped me sooooo much and I love you for it! I hope you enjoy the story from here on out! Here's your update ^_^

Let's continue this tale now!

**T means scene change or time passing** ; _Italics means thoughts_

Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa, the characters, or the story...this is just my own creative plot twist

* * *

Ashura steps closer to Fai, circling the blonde sightly with a smug smirk. Fai watches him carefully, being sure to never drop the slicing glare he shoots toward the defiled cretin. The black-haired male eventually halts, hands intertwining behind his back as he leans in with a pleasant smirk.

"Fai, it's so great to see you again!" the longer-haired male says, his voice nagging the blonde's ears and drawing an annoyed huff from him. However, he remains silent.

"You look even better every time I see you~ Makes me wanna take you back as my own."

"Thanks, but not thanks, Ashura. You're a demon of Unrest and I'm an angel of Rest. So, I'm not exactly interested in such a forbidden and frankly disgusting relationship," Fai answers sternly. Ashura's smirk grows but annoyance tugs at his face from being denied yet again.

"Well, that's just too bad. I sure was hoping-"

"-You haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?" the lithe male cuts him off, trying to keep the impatience from accompanying his tone too much. Plus, he didnt want to hear anymore nauseating ideas of being wiht someone such as Ashura.

"You know exactly why I'm here," he replies, sauntering over lazily to the edge of the rooftop then leaning over to get a better view of the house that the other raven had disappeared into not too long ago. "You seem to be after that human, Kurogane Suwa, as well, hm?" Fai's attention instantly jumps alert and he narrows his eyes toward the menacing male.

"Back off, Ashura. Leave him alone."

"Leave him along?" he snickers, shifting his weight back to pivot and face Fai again, "It's kinda hard to. After all, he'd be quite the asset to our little team."

"He can be saved," Fai affirms quickly, hands clenching into fists. Ashura snorts.

"You seriously think a human as jaded as him can be saved?"

"He can."

"What makes you believe that?"

Fai peers over his shoulder, observing the beaten door that seals the human away from where the both of them stand. "He has the potential to change. He still holds a pureness to him."

"You seriously believe so?" Ashura inquires, arms crossing and face nearly twisted in disbelief.

"Yes," Fai turns his eyes back over to the darker-haired male. "Kurogane Suwa has not completely lost himself."

"Heh...interesting," the demon's expression shifts from unbelieving to amused, a chuckle building up softly that the blonde finds unsettling. _'There's something he's coming up with that I feel I'm not going to enjoy very much.'_ Eventually, the ebony-haired male returns his focus to the paler face across from him, smirk deepening into his lips. "Well then, would you like to make a bet on that?" Fai's eyes widen, then narrow and he takes a step back, guard shooting up.

"No thanks. I know how your bets work and I'm not interested."

"Why? Too afraid of the _possibilities_?" Ashura taunts.

"No, I'm just aware of how twisting your _bets'_ methods are."

"But, if you feel you have nothing to worry about, then why should you be uneasy over taking on a silly little bet?" The angel hesitates, repeating the enticing demon's words over in his mind. Although he's quite warry of Ashura's abilities to taint and lure someone into something, he still does find it vexatious to be concerned over such a small matter such as a bet.

The lithe male's attention is stolen from his thoughts when the other outstretches his hand slowly, a dim and dull red glowing around his palm. _'The seal of a bet...'_ He unsurely glares down at it, sapphire irises moving up to meet golden ones.

"Wanna make a bet?" The blonde remains silent and motionless, waiting for the other to continue. "Whichever side gets Kurogane Suwa first is the one who wins."

"And the conditions?"

"If you win, then you get the Suwa guy and my powers will be useless. I shall lose them. Therefore, I'll be just like any other Shadow Demon that dwells in Unrest. However, if I win, I get Suwa and you must return to me as my lover and get married to me in Unrest. Sound like a deal?" he finishes, hand never flinching away from its position. Fai stares at the beckoning hand, contemplating whether or not he should seal this unspeakable deal as well. He knows that a bet between an angel and a demon is unfathomable and highly forbidden. Not only is it just plain foolish, there's also so many high consequences and risks to it. There's no question as to why it's disallowed by Rest.

_'Maybe I should just turn away and pretend I never listened to any bet being offered in the first place...like it never happened...'_ He knows that's what he _should _be doing, but the proposal just seems almost too great to let slip by. However, sealing the deal is an unbreakable seal that can never be removed unless all parties involved were to call it off in agreement, but all parties would also have to face costly consequences for doing so._ 'I know Kurogane has just as high of a chance of being jaded as he does being saved, but I think I have high enough faith to save him. I've beat Ashura before; I can do it again!'_

"Fine... I'll risk it," he declares, hand reaching out shakily for he other, a dull blue light forming above his own palm, flickering as though it's hesitant to take hold of the other light.

Their hands eventually meet in the middle, grasping each other firmly for a short shake. The blue and red blend together, a pale purple glowing then shining brighter into white light that encircles their hands and weave up their arms, carving a design into their skins. The light fade, leaving behind a lavender pattern that dissolves into their skin within time.

"So, it's a deal," Ashura's confident voice interrupts the silence left behind after the light's hum.

"Yeah," Fai replies, pulling his hand back uncomfortably. Ashura's golden eyes remain fixed on Fai, smirk never leaving his face. Fai opens his mouth to speak, but the sound of a door clicking open behind him snaps his head over to see the raven slide out from behind the wooden barrier. Garnet eyes that look brown in the dark glance around while he shuts the door behind him. Fai blinks in question, then feels more relieved after remembering that he's supposed to find some "broad" for whoever was behind that other door a while back. _'I figured he was going to wait to find someone tomorrow night since he went inside of that place.'_

The blonde turns back to speak with Ashura, only to be met by an empty rooftop, no trace that the demon was ever there moments before performing a deadly deed with the angel seconds before. Rather than dwelling on it for too long, Fai just decides to shrug it off for now seeing that it wasn't important now that he had to find a way to get closer to the raven.

Kurogane turns down an alleyway next to his house, eyes already scanning around sharply for any unlucky lady happening to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, completely unaware of the angel following overhead of him on the rooftops. _'There's got to be some way that I can get close to him without making it obvious that I _meant _to run into him. He seems to be pretty perceptive, so maybe I can get him to find me out of his own cautious nature.'_

The blonde looks back up from the raven, searching for a place that he can carry out such a task. He notices an alleyway just ahead of Kurogane and leaps over to the edge of it, peering over the edge to see a lazily stacked pile of wooden crates lounging along one of the buildings' walls. _'Ah! I know! I can just _fall _into these, make a bunch of noise, and draw him over to me to see what it was. I'll just pretend to have fallen into them and convince him from there to bring me home...somehow.'_ A grin finds its way to his lips, the images of his success already beginning to play in his mind. _'Alright then, now to commence operation: Fallen Angel.'_

He springs off the rooftop, foot landing on an unstable crate at the top, his weight being too much for it to hold on top of all of the others. He yelps, instantly feeling his balance robbed away from the toppling wood, a pain suddenly slicing through his head and then darkness flooding his vision.

The red-eyed male hears the squeak and a bunch of bangs, immediately drawn to where the sound echoed. He peers down the corridor, a heavy, black blanket shadowing everything and making it hard to see. Eventually, the shape of wooden crates silhouettes form within his vision, an odd lump seeming to misshape them. Out of curiosity, he nears it with cautious steps, wondering if it could possibly be a trap laid out by some other gang.

Upon approaching it, however, the color-drained figure of a body takes shape among the crates. Staring at it expressionlessly, he's able to make out almost white hair and near porcelain skin that's been greyed by the darkness defining the body. From what he can tell now, there's not much of a rack on the figure, but so long as this person can look sexy for his boss, that's all he really cares about.

He throws the blonde over his shoulder, completely ignorant to who he's actually holding, and heads back to his home.

**T**

Light leaks in from the parted window in the kitchen, piercing in through the blonde's closed lids, begging for him to embrace the new day. With a soft moan, his eyes part into slits, allowing the light in little by little with quick blinks so his eyes aren't fried from the not-yet-welcome brightness.

After a few seconds of gradually inviting the light in, the splitting headache from last night decides to make its reappearance, causing the lithe male to wince and draw out a groan.

"Finally decided to wake up, hm?" a voice sounds to Fai's side, instantly stealing his attention over. His vision is captured by the darker-haired male, lounging in a chair beside him with a book resting down in his lap. For an instant, Fai's actually surprised with how different this raven looks up close and in the light. Ebony spikes line his hair and Fai entertains if it's softer than its appearance. He has gorgeous, deep garnet eyes and a strong, masculine facial structure. His skin glows a beautiful tan, defined and shaped over carefully chiseled muscles that really compliment him. Up close, now he can really see the Asian look to him. He truly is quite an attractive person; very handsome and probably someone women would swoon over had he been in a higher class. However, Fai thinks to himself, he'd look even better had he not had this black cloud swirling around him.

Fai mumbles an answer to the raven's earlier question and pulls himself up into a sitting position, the pain arguing to keep him lying down forcing him to move sluggishly.

"Good," Kurogane says half-heartedly, eyes glancing over the blonde. He seems to shrug, coming to an unheard conclusion, then picks his book back up to start reading again. The blonde glances around the place, eventually intrigued with where he actually woke up. He doesn't recognize any of this from the night before. The place looks run-down and untaken care of for what it could be, but it's rather big on the inside. There's even a small corridor leading down to more rooms. It seems out of place compared to everything he saw last night.

"Where am I?"

"You're at my place. Found you last night knocked out in some crates, so I picked you up and brought you here," he answers, eyes never leaving the pages of his book. A smirk grows on the angel's face, the sudden urge to mess with the other male arising.

"Oh my! I hope you didn't do anything like try to rape me!" Fai exclaims dramatically, immediately regretting it with the pain ringing mercilessly in his head.

"Don't flatter yourself," he replies bluntly, expression unamused. "You're not my play toy. You'll be for the guy I work for as his new personal broad." Turning the page, he looks up over the rim and watches Fai, placing the book back down in his lap after a minute. "You would either be his play toy or some device in his black magic circles...but the fact that you're actually quite pretty despite being a guy is probably gonna keep you alive as a prostitute instead of dying in their damn mishaps. Usually try to pick 'em like that anyway..." he explains, focus shifting away as though he were getting lost in thought.

Fai's heartbeat speeds up a bit, the realization that he's just gonna hand him over without second thought sinking in. "Uh, wouldn't someone as_ handsome _and _deserving_ such as yourself actually want to keep me for his own entertainment?" he questions hastily, trying to make himself appealing to the tan male.

Kurogane snorts. "Natural born prostitute, huh? Well, save it. You can go play all you want with those freaks tonight but not me. I'm not really interested in that stuff; especially the guys..." his attention drops yet again, mouthing words that rise hardly above a whisper, "not anymore..."

"B-but, I'm special! You'll want me here longer than just today! I promise! Why would you wanna give that up?" Fai asks, getting more nervous with his resistance to comply. He growls, glaring at the blonde.

"I'd be more than damn happy to give up some annoying idiot like you anytime!"

"Kurogane, please. Just trust me. I'm different than anyone else around you, I promise! You're really gonna want me around," he pleads, watching confusion form on the raven's face.

"How the hell do you know my name?" Fai smiles at him

"I told you that I'm special," the angel replies innocently, earning a roll of the eyes from the other while he picks his book back up to ignore him again. The blonde looks him over, trying to find some distraction from the lingering headache that only worsened from all the yelling between the two. _'I've got to get close to him somehow. Well, I need him to believe that he needs me around for more of a reason than just me being _special.' He leans against the sofa, resting his head on an upraised palm. _'What would make humans want someone to stay with them for long amounts of time? I used to be human, so what made me want to stay around someone?'_

His eyes widen, realization dawning. _'Relationships. That's what made me stay with my brother all those years and do all those things for him. I think a simple friendship will allow me to stay with him for a longer amount of time, but I don't see it really getting through to him and changing his mind about anything._' Fai's eyes shift over to the raven again, remaining there. _'Maybe if he loved me? Love is a huge influential tool with people, maybe it can even be possible in him. It's my best chance. If anything, I'll come up with something else later. So, looks like getting him to love me is my goal now.'_ A sigh interrupts the silence.

"Well, now I have to go and try to find another broad for tonight if you're too damn special to be handed over."

"You know, it's not very nice to refer to women in that kind of manner, Kuro-sama," Fai tells him, smiling brightly when his expression changes from annoyed to fully irritated and a growl rips from his throat.

"Maybe I should just hand you over to him tonight instead!"

**T**

Fai glances back at the door that Kurogane left through a few hours ago. He doesn't really know how long it's been since he's sat silently on the sofa since the other male left him alone to go search for someone else to hand over to his boss or whatever. Fai got up a few times and wandered around, but restricted himself only to the living room and the kitchen since all of the other places were closed off by doors, and the blonde really didn't want to be disrespectful in entering somewhere he wasn't told to go. After wandering around the same place for a while, though, he would just sit himself back where he was sitting moments before and stare into nothing again.

There were a few times Fai wished he would have gone with the raven. It would have given more excitement than watching the light of day die down through the window, but the thought of watching Kurogane steal a lady from her home and handing her over to this shady boss guy to have done who knows what to her didn't really settle well in his belly. Besides, it was safer for him to just stay here in Kurogane's house. At least here the raven wouldn't make a last minute decision to give him over were he to run out of options.

Another loud pang of hunger roars through his belly, forcing a slight wince out of the blonde. _'When was the last time I've eaten anyway? I think it was sometime yesterday when I was up in Rest.'_ He hugs his knees to his chest, pouting into the dip between where his legs come together.

His eyes wander over to where food lays right out in the open on the counter, almost begging for him to come over and take some. Another rumble rips through his belly again, but he forces himself to look away and cope with it. It wasn't his place to take anything that didn't belong to him, especially from someone who's being nice enough to even allow him to stay in their place without having to pay anything for it.

Fai forces his attention on something else than his angrily pleading belly, allowing his eyes to take in the room around him again for probably the fortieth time. Eventually, however, his vision does land on something he hasn't caught before. _'The book he was reading yesterday?'_ It's not as though he believes he's going to learn anything propitious about him just by seeing what the other happens to read, but at least it'll take his mind away from his talkative stomach.

Sauntering over to it, he gets down on his knees, picking up the book gently as to not harm it in any way possible. He looks it over before turning it over to read the title. _'Hm? Alice in Wonderland? I thought this books was supposed to be expensive.'_

A click sounds behind him, making him snap his head around to see the raven storm in with annoyance written all over his face. Fai blinks, uncertain of what he should say to him, until the red eyes shift over to him.

"What the hell are you doing, Blonde?" he questions, aggravation clear in his voice. Fai gasps, placing the book back down gently.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I was just curious as to what it was you were reading last night. I didn't rip it or harm it in any way, I promise!" Fai tells him quickly, rising to his feet. The other rolls his eyes and makes his way further into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. Fai saunters over to him, now curious over why he appears to be in such a bad mood. _'Was something said to him by his boss?'_

"Um," Fai starts, red eyes snapping over to his sapphire ones, "you seem to be upset. Is everything al-" A growl cuts him off, drawing a slight blush from the blonde. Kuro stares down at him bluntly.

"...Ooi, have you even eaten yet?" the raven asks in disbelief. Fai looks down at the floor in embarrassment, playing with his fingers nervously.

"I didn't want to be rude and take anything..." he says sheepishly.

"DUMBASS! If you're hungry then eat! Don't just sit around and starve! Ugh!" The darker-haired male flings himself around, storming into the kitchen and grabbing the bread that was on the counter earlier, thrusting it at Fai after he follows him in. "Eat that. I don't have anything else right now because I haven't had the chance to buy anything else yet. I'll buy something tomorrow."

"Thank you very much, Kuro-sama." Kuro growls.

"Don't call me that, dammit!" Fai watches him storm past him into the main room then follows, nibbling on the bread. The blonde slumps down into the sofa, sapphire eyes watching as tan muscles work to start a fire, focused garnet eyes never leaving the fireplace until a fire dances to life.

Kurogane turns his head back to the blonde who's watching him from his corner on the sofa, hands now empty of any trace of food at all. He narrows his eyes, momentarily feeling bad that all he could offer to the blonde probably wasn't enough to even fill him up.

The raven stands up, then disappears out of Fai's vision, only to make the blonde curious with the noise he's making. The lithe male peers over his shoulder to see the taller one moving stuff around to pick up a mass of something._ 'I wish I could do more than just sit here awkwardly. Watching him from a distance and being right in front of him where he's aware of my presence are two completely different comfort zones.'_ A sigh erupts from his lips upon the raven returning back to him.

"Ooi, get up," Kuro commands, walking over toward him with the mass in his arms. The blonde blinks, then pushes himself off the sofa hastily. The ebony-haired male maneuvers around in front of Fai to the side of the sofa and holds out the sheet to unfold it.

Fai watches a translucent cloud of dust rise off the thin, off-white sheet Kuro throws out and over his shabby couch, fabric still having yet to settle down and mold into the shape of the furniture. The blonde takes a step closer and scans over the sheet clinging loosely to rougher fabric of the sofa underneath trying to hide any expressions of distaste or hesitance while the other male disappears into a dark room down the corridor, then reappearing with a heavier, yet just as untouched blanket. He trails back over to the blonde, thrusting the sloppily folded mass at him a less dense cloud of dust rising up to Fai's nostrils after making impact.

"You can use both the sheet and the blanket as covers or just that thing- I don't care." He watches the blonde unfold the blanket, nose twitching a bit to try and keep down a sneeze. "This is the best I can offer you. You could use the other bedroom back there but out here is probably the warmest you're gonna get besides my room, and like hell I'm gonna let you sleep in there," he tells him, crossing his arms and snarling a bit without the other's noticing. The paler male runs his hands over the faded blue blanket to smooth it out then smiles up at him.

"This is quite alright. You've already done enough by allowing me a place to stay. I am very grateful to you for that much; asking for anymore would be begging." The raven snorts then allows his arms to fall and rest back down at his sides.

"Well, whatever. Night," the raven says, turning to make his way to his room at the end of the hallway.

"Goodnight~" Fai calls after his retreating form, smile never falling until the click of his door closing into place fills his ears. His lips straighten into a calm line and he shuffles underneath the cold, lifeless blanket, the sheet beneath him sinking and folding more deeply into the sofa. Forcing his eyes closed after a while doesn't seem to help him out at all, so he flips himself over onto his other side, eyeing the lively fire chase itself around in vibrate yellow, red, and orange pigments.

Shadows shiver around the room as though they're afraid of the larger shadows that tremble from the fire's blazing heartbeat. The crackles fill the quiet air around him, bringing some comfort to his restless. Why he was restless? He didn't quite know himself and it irritated him slightly. A sigh mixes with the crackles then fades out of existence and the blonde forces his eyes closed again, wishing for sleep to take him quickly.

**T**

Hours. Hours of endless tossing and turning and Fai finally just sits up._ 'Why can't I just go to sleep? I have no reason to be restless like this.'_ He rubs his eyes, moaning to himself in frustration before staring forward again. There were many times he'd stare at the fire and begin to feel tired, but the instant he'd close his eyes to be stolen away by the darkness until morning, energy would suddenly flow through his body again and jolt him back awake.

A mild gust of wind finds its way through the somewhat broken window and ruffles the blonde's pale locks, swirling the loose strands into a short waltz before kissing the lithe male's pale neck and drawing up goose bumps with a slight shudder. It wasn't uncomfortable, in fact it was a bit pleasant, but Fai was definitely glad he was lying next to a fire rather than the other room that the raven spoke of earlier. Then again, perhaps he'd actually be asleep in the pitch darkness and chilled air. Cold didn't necessarily bother him at all. In fact, he pleasurably welcomed the sweet, crisp cold over muggy, burning heat any day.

He considers actually moving into the other room, rising to his feet but stops after hearing a sudden rattle of wood and a soft thump behind him. Snapping his head around, a silhouette of a standing figure stands in the darkness of the kitchen, striking immediate fear and caution into the blonde's chest. He flings the rest of his body around to face the shadowed frame, baring his teeth and raising his guard.

Fai's not entirely sure if it's just his fatigued mind's imagination or if there's really something there, but he's not taking any chances and is about to pounce at it until it moves toward him, stopping him dead in his tracks. The fire's flickering light spreads slowly over the man's face the more he walks toward the paler male, golden eyes that look almost orange in the dimmed light making their appearance. Fai tenses up instantly, but relaxes his fighting stance, instead crossing his arms angrily.

"What are you doing here, Ashura? You have no right stepping carelessly into someone's house," Fai snaps in a whisper, venom dripping from his words. The other steps closer to him until his whole front is now glowing in the fire's blaze, black hair reflecting the faint yellow of it. Dark shadows pool where the light can't touch, only adding to the menace of the demon in front of him.

"And you have anymore right than I do?" he questions with a smirk outlined in shadows.

"I was actually invited in...sort of. But, I have more right to be here than you; that's for sure," he growls at the demon, scowling at the his dirtied presence. A snort comes from the darker-haired male.

"And that somehow makes you special, right? You must think you own this house now, don't you?"

"I don't!" Fai slaps a hand over his mouth, mentally reminding himself that he needs to be quiet in fear of waking up a sleeping raven in the room down the hallway, then returns back to glaring the golden-eyed demon down. "I don't. I just don't see why you think you can just waltz right in here without any reason to. Why are you here?" Ashura snickers, meandering closer to the blonde and earning an instant spike in caution.

"I just wanted to see your progress. You seem to act as though getting into his house gives you an advantage. You're terribly mislead, then. I pity you. So childish in your beliefs," Ashura taunts, towering over the lithe male, golden eyes peering mercilessly into sapphire ones, just daring him to fight back.

"Is this all you came for? You broke into someone's house just to tell me that? You're the childish one, Ashura," Fai responds, keeping his composure up even though his heart is beating so heavily it pounds painfully in his ears. Ashura's eyes narrow, annoyance rapidly flooding his irises. A smirk grows on his lips; one that the blonde finds completely unsettling. A snicker slips through the taller male's lips, an unnamed emotion lining his face's features.

"Childish? No, childish is thinking that you can change someone like him; someone who has walls built up so high and thick that it'd take years to tear them down and with a slim chance that that's ever going to happen. Yet, you think that you can do it in one month simply through teaching him _purity_. Hah! You mean nothing to him! You're just some unfortunate person who forced his way into his life and can offer nothing that he speaks of!" Fai's eyes widen hearing his own words (or a paraphrased version at least) told back to him. "Tch! You probably mean as much to him as you mean to your brother-"

A loud smack echoes throughout the room with a vicious growl, cutting off his rough voice from continuing any further. The echo drifts off into nothing, replaced by heaving panting and the sound of scrambling feet down the hallway. Narrowed sapphire eyes absorb the reddened cheek of the male in front of him, but widen in panic when his brain kicks back to life reminding him that there's only one thing the footsteps could be coming from. He snaps his head toward the direction of Kuro-rin's room, then back to where the demon stands to warn him to leave, only to be met by bare darkness like the night before.

"What the hell was that sound!?" A tired, yet alarmed voice inquires. Fai shifts his vision back over to Kuro's, eyes immediately met with garnet ones that have yet to completely wake up.

"It was nothing, I'm sure," the blonde replies, giggling sheepishly, confused when he's met with narrowed eyes rather than relaxed ones. "What?"

"Why are you standing up?" the raven asks, walking closer to him.

"I heard the noise also~ I got up to check it out but found that it was nothing. It was probably something from outside I imagine," the angel assures, grinning happily at him. The raven sighs irritably and rolls his eyes.

"Whatever. You're way too awake for this time of night. Go to bed, Blonde, or I'll make you sleep outside," Kuro tells him, turning to make his way back to his own room.

"Right! Sorry about the inconvenience, Kuro-pon~" The raven halts dead in his tracks, head pivoting slowly around to where he can glare fiercely at the blonde over his shoulder.

"That's it. You're going outside!" Kuro-rinta yells, spinning around swiftly and stomping over to the blonde with murderous intent.

"Kyaa! Kuro-pyuu looks scarier in the dark!~" the blonde squeaks gleefully, scampering out of the raven's near grasp and taking off toward the kitchen. The raven roars another growl before turning violently and raging toward the lithe blonde.

"The fuck did you just call me!? I'll rip you to shreds!" the raven yells louder, leaping for the smaller male, only to have him slip out of his reach.

"Hyuu! That's if you can catch me first!" Fai taunts playfully, fleeing for the couch and giggling at the sound of a deadly growl behind him.

**T**

Fai yawns, stretching his arms above his head.

"You wouldn't be so tired had you not started that damn game last night," the raven lectures him, hands shoved in his pockets while they saunter down the dirty walkway.

"Mm, but it was fun while it lasted," Fai giggles, goofy grin lining his lips.

"For you maybe! I should have murdered you for butchering my name like that, dammit! You're lucky I was too tired to by the time I finally caught you," Kuro-pin practically yells at him, scowling at the people ahead of him. Fai hums a reply and walks closer to the taller male, starting to get uncomfortable with the appearance of the people the farther they walk into the crowd. It's true though, that it probably was a good thing that Kuro-chin was tired by the time he caught up to the flexible blonde. However, the angel was quite exhausted by the time the raven caught up to him last night also.

Fai had tried to dodge another one of his charges again, but backed into the edge of the sofa and fell onto the rough cushions. The raven attacked him, glaring down at the blonde's sheepish grin as he towered over him. He half yelled, half-yawned a threat, then pretty much moaned "fuck it" and layed down on top of the smaller male below him, closing his eyes and relaxing. Fai whined playfully about how he was heavy and that he needed to get off before he crushed him for a little while, but was told to just shut up and go to sleep each time until the blonde gave up and they both finally drifted off to sleep. Of course they didn't get too much time to sleep after that (thanks to the sunlight's harsh rays of morning shining into their eyelids), but managed to motivate themselves to get up and carry on through the day.

The blonde giggles to himself remembering the events from the night, earning an annoyed questioning glance from the raven. Fai shakes his head cheerfully and looks up at him.

"By the way, where are we going anyway?" the angel asks, glancing around at the people around him.

"I told you I need to get food, and you probably need clothes, don't you?" he questions, obviously hoping the other would deny the last part but groans in vexation when it's confirmed he doesn't. He sighs, then looks back down at him. "Fine. I don't have much, so don't expect a full shopping spree. My first concern is food, not your lack of clothing."

"That's mean," the blonde says playfully. "So, we're going to a shopping district area?"

"Sort of. We're going to the circle."

"The circle?" Fai asks, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yep. We're here," he tells him, stopping. Fai blinks up at him, then shifts his attention to what he's talking about. The body of a man suddenly flies past his face, hitting the ground beside them and rolling. Coughs erupt from the body as it rises slowly as though he were being resurrected from the dead.

"You're a dead man!" the man screams, running toward another man with upraised fists.

"So, people are already at it this early in the morning? Wonder what that fight's about?" Kuro bluntly says to no one in particular, sauntering toward the larger mass of the crowd as though nothing ever happened. Fai stares after him wide eyed, instantly running to catch up to him. _'What in the bloody heck is this place!?'_

* * *

Yay! Chapter two finished! I'm soooooo glad that this one came out so much more easier than chapter one. There were rough parts, but I'm sure no one really cares xD Anyway, hope you enjoyed it everyone! R&R possibly -3-? TAKE CARE~


End file.
